Show some class and stop booing Clarke

Yesterday Ben and I went to the one-day match at the Gabba between Australia and England.

It was such a fun day out, with great atmosphere and skill shown by the guys on the field.

While the crowd were more than accommodating when it came to cheering for their respective teams, it was disappointing to hear the jeering cries and boos (from both Australian and English spectators) when Australian captain Michael Clarke came out to bat.

I get that he hasn’t been playing to form for a while now and I know that he should probably be using Twitter a little less, but I was shocked at the nasty reception he received. What has happened to you Australia? When did we become a bitter and twisted nation that can’t even support our own?

Clarke went on to get a score of 54 runs, which was the best by any Australian batsman on the day. The pressure he must be under to perform would be incredible and for once the harshest critics in the sporting arena weren’t the selectors.

I know what it’s like to not be able to perform up to scratch and on occasion let people down, but poor Clarkey having to suffer like that in front of the nation; it was really hard to watch. I think Ben and I were just ogling each other because we were so surprised by the reaction of the crowd. We expected it from the English, not the Aussies.

I guess that it’s hard for us common folk to really understand what a professional sportsperson goes through. But Clarkey is only human and makes mistakes (err Lara Bingle, but that’s another story). So maybe next time he comes out to bat, instead of being typical Australian s**theads, why don’t we give him an encouraging yell and hope he does his best, which hopefully, means more runs.